READOUT: Deputy Undersecretary Lee leads Department of Labor delegation at 2024 United Nations’ Climate Change Conference

WASHINGTON – A delegation from the Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs, led by  Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs Thea Lee, discussed shared labor and employment priorities with other national leaders at the 2024 United Nation’s Climate Change Conference - also known as the Conference of Parties 29 - in Azerbaijan, from Nov. 13-15, 2024.

The 2024 conference marked the first time the department participated in negotiations towards the Just Transition Work Program and Response Measures to promote the inclusion of workers’ rights and voices in global climate action.

“We came to COP29 on behalf of the U.S. Department of Labor with a simple goal: to push for better integration of labor issues into the climate agenda,” said Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs Thea Lee. “A just transition means maximizing the social and economic opportunities of climate and environmental action. It requires inclusive approaches that create decent work opportunities and reduce inequality, leaving no one behind. Workers and worker organizations need to have a voice in the development and implementation of climate policy. Without workers’ meaningful involvement, we risk making ineffective and politically untenable policy.” 

During the conference in Baku, the department organized a just transition discussion on the U.S. government’s whole-of-government approach to promoting high labor standards through innovative programs and investments in clean energy at home and abroad. The event featured high-level panelists from the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Department of Energy. 

Deputy Undersecretary Lee also participated in several events at the Just Transition Pavilion, a venue hosted by the International Labor Organization and the European Commission, that featured discussions between government leaders, experts and other stakeholders on labor and climate issues. The events included dialogues on incorporating migrant workers’ voices into policymaking discussions, as well as addressing heat stress on the job, as part of a campaign with Brazil to galvanize global action through the Partnership for Workers’ Rights.